Prominent local vet found dead in Arizona

A prominent veterinarian from San Diego who was known for his expertise, compassion and work with the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld was found dead in a burning car north of Tucson, Ariz., his former wife said Wednesday.

Dr. Anthony “Tony” Basher, 54, had been staying at a colleague’s house and was driving alone in his friend’s Mercedes when the car caught on fire on Friday in a rural area near the residence, said Dr. Kim Basher, who is also a veterinarian.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the official cause of death is pending. Kim Basher said the fire was an accident and that brush and grass under the car may have ignited as he made a U-turn in a rocky area.

It was the second tragic loss for the family this year. The couple’s only child, 14-year-old daughter Ciannon, died in June, her mother said.

Kim Basher said her ex-husband’s parents and two siblings live in England, where Anthony Basher was raised, and a brother lives in New Zealand.

Deputies who responded about 7:50 p.m. Friday to the burning car in an affluent area known as the Catalina Foothills found the Mercedes fully engulfed and a homeowner trying to put out the flames with a garden hose.

The homeowner did not realize someone was in the car, and the body was found when the blaze was extinguished. The car’s owner was out of town.

Kim Basher said her ex-husband, a specialist in ophthalmology, had been fired several months ago from Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Sorrento Valley, where he worked for the past 15 years. She declined to discuss specifics of the termination, but said it was a bitter parting.

In a statement Thursday. hospital CEO Susan Bantz said “Veterinary Specialty Hospital is deeply saddened by this tragic news, and we do not believe it is appropriate or helpful to discuss anything related to Dr. Basher’s employment with us. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family and friends — this is a loss to our entire community.”

Because of a 50-mile noncompete clause in his contract, Kim Basher said her ex-husband was currently working at Eye Care for Animals clinics in Tucson, Temecula and Santa Monica while living in Rancho Santa Fe. She said he was staying at the owner’s house in Tucson while working there Thursday and Friday.

Several clients who posted comments on the Veterinary Specialty Hospital website this summer were effusive in their praise for Basher.

“I have trusted him with my lab’s glaucoma for eight years,” Deanne Miller wrote. “I don’t want to take my dog to anyone else.” Karina Westburg said he restored her dog’s vision.

Kim Basher said her ex-husband was one of only a few veterinarians in the country with a double board certification for both ophthalmology and general surgery.

She said he “saved many local pets,” and helped animals at SeaWorld San Diego, the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, formerly known as the Wild Animal Park.

A Sept. 24, 1999 article in The San Diego Union-Tribune discussed how Basher had performed cataract surgery on a beached California sea lion pup rescued by SeaWorld that was found emaciated and nearly blind. It was described as the first successful cataract surgery performed on sea lions in the country.